This is a wonderful 18th century exterior door latch with a very distinct heart shaped backplate. A good amount of old red paint is still visible on the front and back sides of the backplate as well as on the thumb latch.
This Patera is from an unknown source and exhibits a quality unlike recorded examples.It represents a wine drinking vessel that was found in silver in Hildesheim.
These brass latches are Federal period, late 18th, early 19th century period. They are nearly identical, but there are some variations. They measure 8.5 inches long.
